Terms of Service

Effective Date: May 1, 2025

1. Overview

Guidance Rubrics (“Guidance Rubrics,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) provides a cloud‑based software‑as‑a‑service platform that enables instructors to grade student submissions and generate feedback using artificial intelligence. These Terms of Service (“Terms”) form a binding agreement between Guidance Rubrics and you (“User” or “Instructor”) regarding your access to and use of our website, applications, and related services (collectively, the “Services”).

2. Eligibility & Account Access

The Services are intended solely for use by instructors and authorized graders. You must:

Be at least 18 years old;
Sign in using a valid Google account; and
Accept and comply with these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

Students do not access the platform directly.

3. Free Usage & Billing

Each Instructor receives a limited amount of free AI usage. After this free allotment is exhausted, continued use requires the Instructor to provide their own OpenAI API key. Guidance Rubrics may introduce paid tiers or alter this billing structure in the future with prior notice. At present, the platform is free and no refunds apply.

4. Platform Usage & Restrictions

You agree to use the Services only for lawful academic purposes. You must not:

Upload or generate content that is offensive, illegal, or infringing;
Attempt to hack, exploit, or circumvent security features; or
Use the platform outside the scope of intended educational use.

Instructors are responsible for ensuring that student submissions contain no personally identifiable information (PII) or illegal content.

5. Content Ownership & Rights

Students and Instructors retain ownership of their original content. Guidance Rubrics may use submissions solely to:

Generate grading and feedback;
Train instructor‑specific language models when requested; and
Debug or improve system performance.

Guidance Rubrics does not otherwise reuse, sell, or distribute submissions. We do not guarantee intellectual‑property protection of submitted content.

6. Privacy & Data Protection

Guidance Rubrics complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Data Collected: Student Canvas IDs (non‑PII) and Instructor email addresses.
Data Visibility: Student data is visible only to their Instructor.
Security: All data is encrypted in transit and at rest and hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

For details, please review our Privacy Policy.

7. Account Suspension & Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

Violate these Terms;
Attempt to hack or damage the platform; or
Upload offensive or illegal content.

If student behavior compromises the system, Guidance Rubrics will notify the Instructor; recurring issues may result in account deactivation.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Services are provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied. Guidance Rubrics does not guarantee uninterrupted access, grading speed, or error‑free operation and is not liable for data loss or grading inaccuracies.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Guidance Rubrics is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages. Our total liability for any claim arising from the Services will not exceed $100 USD or the total amount paid by you in the 12 months preceding the claim (whichever is greater).

10. Modifications to the Service or Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. Changes will be posted on our website and become effective upon posting. Continued use after such changes constitutes acceptance.

11. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, USA. Any dispute will be resolved by binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA). You waive any right to a jury trial or class action.

12. Contact

Questions regarding these Terms? Please use the “Contact Us” link on our website.